could feel the breath congeal in her lungs. How could this be happening? She felt faint, clinging automatically to Ian’s arm as if to keep herself upright. Oh, dear God, if she’d had the faintest idea Athan would be here …
Ian had stiffened. ‘Where’s Eva?’ he demanded.
Athan ignored the question. His expression was a mask of fury. ‘You have one second to get that woman out of here before—’
‘Before what?’ A light, feminine voice sounded from the doorway.
Athan whirled round. His sister stood poised in the doorway, looking at the tableau frozen in front of her. Her expression changed when her gaze took in the presence of a completely strange woman on her husband’s arm.
‘Ian?’ she said enquiringly, a bemused but unsuspicious look on her face.
Marisa swallowed. So, finally, this was Ian’s wife. She could feel her thoughts racing in her head, tried to get control of her emotions. Emotions that had been erratic enough ever since she’d read Ian’s letter that morning. But when she’d felt the full force of her dismay at Athan’s presence here she’d reeled.
Oh, God, she couldn’t do this! She had to get out of here—now. Jerkily, she stumbled forward, heading for the door, and Eva automatically stepped aside. Her expression was changing from bemusement to astonishment. Marisa threw her an agonised look.
‘I’m sorry. So sorry—I can’t do this! I—’
Suddenly her arm was taken. A deep, harsh voice spoke—but not to her.
‘Eva—I’ll deal with this.’
Athan’s hand around her forearm was like a steel clamp, hustling her out. Out of his sister’s presence—before her worthless snake of a husband could inflict the blow he was so obviously, outrageously intending to. Rage consumed him.
What the hell is he thinking of—to bring Marisa here? To confront Eva with her?
It could mean only one thing—the very worst. Ian was going to tell Eva he was leaving her …
But not for Marisa Milburne—not for her!
Emotions seared within him—utterly disparate, but inextricably entwined. To protect his sister from her cheating rat of a husband—to stop Marisa going off with anyone, anyone at all.
Except himself.
Possessiveness scalded within him. Just seeing her there, despite his anger at realising what Ian was intending, had been like a shockwave through his senses.
He thrust her out into the wide, deserted corridor beyond, yanking the dining room door shut behind him and dragging her down towards the elevator. His only thought was to get her out of the hotel—away from Eva. But was Ian already spilling his treacherous guts to her? Hell and damnation—he could slug him to kingdom come for this!
He jabbed furiously at the elevator button and rounded on Marisa.
‘You despicable little bitch! How dare you? How dare you walk in, bold as brass, with Ian?’
Marisa paled, trying to drag herself away from him, but it was impossible. His hand was like steel around her arm.
‘I’m sorry! I knew I shouldn’t have gone along with Ian.’
Athan shook her like a rag, his face black. ‘Then why the hell did you?’
‘Because we’ve had enough of this endless secrecy!’ she cried. ‘He convinced me we couldn’t hide it any longer. He refuses to hide me away any more. I won’t be his sordid little secret.’
He dropped her arm. It fell to her side limply. She swallowed, just looking at him. His face was like granite. Emotion scythed through her.
‘But whether Eva knows about you or not, you are the “sordid little secret”, aren’t you?’ he said, his voice low and knifing. ‘And telling her won’t make you any less sordid.’
She shut her eyes. ‘I know,’ she said heavily. ‘And I know that walking out now isn’t going to mend anything. She’ll be wondering who I am, why Ian brought me here tonight. So even if I walk out now it’s too late—’
He swore in his own language, the Greek words harsh. ‘Then there is only one thing to be done—only one way to hide it from her.’
She looked at him. He took her arm again. His mind was working frantically, trying to work out how to salvage something from this unholy mess. This was a denouement he hadn’t foreseen.
I thought Ian had let her go—and all along he was planning this.
Rage consumed him. Rage at Ian—and rage at himself for not realising what a treacherous little rat the man truly was.
He took a heavy breath, marshalled his thoughts.
‘I’ll tell Eva you’re here on my account. That Ian was escorting you to the hotel for me as I’ve only just arrived from Athens. That I wanted to introduce you to her.’ He finished heavily, his words biting and accusing, ‘That way I might just manage to protect her from the sordid truth of your existence. After all—’ his lip curled ‘—better that you are my mistress than her husband’s.’
He made to steer her back towards the dining room..
But she wouldn’t move.
She was looking at him. Staring at him. Just staring.
There was no emotion in her face. None whatsoever. Then slowly, very slowly, she peeled his fingers off her arm, and stepped away. He looked down at her, frowning. What the hell was she playing at now?
‘Athan! Come back in!’
He slewed round sharply. Eva was in the dining room doorway, beckoning to him. Ian was standing beside her. Athan’s head whipped back. Marisa had started to walk forward, towards the couple. There was purpose in her steps.
As they all went back inside the dining room and he closed the door on the four of them a sense of doom came over Athan. It was going to happen. The ugly, painful disclosure of the ‘sordid little secret’ that he’d gone to so much trouble to keep hidden from his sister. And all for nothing. For this—for his sister to be humiliated and her heart broken. Well, at least he would be there for her. Ready to let her sob on his shoulder after her husband had walked out on her with his mistress on his arm.
His mouth twisted, but there was no humour in it.
The mistress I want for myself …
But that wasn’t going to happen. All that was going to happen was the destruction of his sister’s fragile marriage. Well, better it ended now than later. Better never to love than to have love smashed to pieces …
He should know …
A blade like a vicious shard of ice slid into his side. He watched Marisa walk up to his sister. Watched Ian smile at her reassuringly.
Intimately.
